An unexpected raspberry filling.
Breakfast:
Yogurt (Stonyfield Farm, Londonderry, NH)
Cheerios (exempt) with milk (Crescent Ridge Dairy, Sharon, MA)
French toast bread pudding with maple syrup (Shattuck’s Sugarhouse, Belchertown, MA)
Lunch:
French bread with goat cheese (bread from Nashoba Brook Bakery, Concord, MA; cheese from Westfield Farm, Hubbardston, MA)
Carrots (Drumlin Farm, Lincoln, MA)
Apples (Autumn Hills Orchard, MA)
Snack:
Fresh-picked raspberries (Drumlin Farm, Lincoln, MA)
Dinner:
Polenta squares with tomato and sausage sauce (corn meal from Gray’s Grist Mill, Westport, MA; sausage from Codman Farm, Lincoln, MA; tomatoes from Drumlin Farm, Lincoln, MA)
Sautéed broccoli rabe and steamed broccoli (Drumlin Farm, Lincoln, MA)
Strawberries (Charlton Orchards, Charlton, MA)
Chocolate chip cookies (Goodies, Westford, MA via Wayland Farmer’s Market)
Notes:
Yes, that’s not a mistake, I said strawberries for dinner. I was at the Wayland Farmer’s Market (at Russell’s Garden Center) when I saw two quarts of strawberries alongside the apples and peaches. WTF? The strawberries were done in June. Where did they come from, I demanded to know. And who do you think you are? Their farm, they countered. And farmers. Well, okay, I answered sheepishly. In that case, pass me a quart.
Apparently, the recent 90-degree weather after the frost we had earlier in the month confused the plants into fruiting again. Frankly, I didn’t know that these types of things could work in our favor. The Toddler, who was just warming up to the early summer fruit when they suddenly disappeared from the landscape, helped himself to a pint and a half. I got two measly berries. The Preschooler might have gotten a small handful. Hard to say. To make up for it, I snuck the Preschooler some red raspberries I picked at the farm today. Having to hide fruit from the Toddler would have seemed like the most ridiculous impossibility a month ago, but such has been one of the unlikely benefits of the Eat Local Challenge. We’ve created a bit of a monster.
I also must confess that I ate all of the golden raspberries that I picked at the farm, leaving only the red ones for anyone else. Have you tried the golden ones (sometimes they’re yellow, sometimes they’re pinkish)? They’re honey-flavored and, oh my god, I don’t know why anyone even bothers to grow the red ones.
As for the polenta and sausage sauce, this is a repeat from Day 1. The recipe for the sausage sauce is here, except the sausage was out of its casing for this, and I think I used double the amount of sausage so it would be extra meaty. Husband, if you recall, didn’t like the polenta, so I threw it all into the freezer for a future day when we were desperate. That day was today. Did you know that freezing polenta suddenly makes it delicious? I’m serious. I like polenta and, yet, it tasted at least 50% better post-freeze. Husband said 100% better. Or maybe our standards have changed, but whatever the reason, dinner was awesome.
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